Raftel Rumble!
by Captain Blue
Summary: If becoming the Pirate King was hard, then trying to keep the title is intense. Join Luffy and his crew as they fend off a Shichibukai, a Marine commodore, bounty hunters, and monstrous creatures as they sail from Raftel to the East Blue.
1. End

**Rating**: T  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. They are copyright Eiichiro Oda.

* * *

"Woo-hoo!" The cry of excitement echoed through-out the hollowed cave, bouncing off the walls and amplifying the volume by a good hundred decibels. "Look at all this treasure!" The wide eyes of pirate captain Monkey D. Luffy expanded with his grin.

"Look at all this treasure!" echoed the orange-haired woman beside him, her brown eyes converted into belli signs. "Gold, silver, jewels! Money, money, money!" Nami's frame was shaking with delight, her hands eager to reach the vast amounts of valuables.

A happy sigh of cigarette smoke drifted over, shaped like hearts. "Nami-san is even more beautiful when she's greedy!" Sanji's smile erupted into a goofy grin, his only visible eye mimicking his death-stick waste.

"Ero-cook." grumbled the large, green-haired man. "Can't even stay serious for once..." Roronoa Zoro folded his arms, the three katanas strapped to his waist not moving even the slightest.

"The One Piece has to be here, right?" asked the weedy-looking, long-nosed boy, his voice steady despite his knees shaking. "W-we finally reached Raftel, but I don't see Gold Roger's treasure..."

"This is probably his treasure, Usopp." said the even-larger-than-Zoro man, his very large arms flexing slightly. Franky pushed his sunglasses up and ran large fingers through his blue smokestack 'do. "I mean, Mugiwara's treasure is his hat, so this whole island would be Gold Roger's--"

"Gol D. Roger." corrected the dark-haired women, staring at the now brawling cook and swordsman in amusement. "That's his real name. Perhaps I can find the Rio Poneglyph here, after what the one in Skypiea told me..."

"R-robin..." squeaked the little reindeer from behind her legs, peeking out in reverse, his blue nose twitching. "D-did the Poneglyph say how dangerous this place is?" Tony-Tony Chopper glanced out from his pink hat at the historian and was answered by a smile and the word "no".

"Yo ho ho ho! How exciting this is!" cackled the afro-hearing skeleton, his cane spinning on his arm. "Raftel, the last island on the Grand Line!" Brook's skin-less face made no movement, but one could tell he was smiling.

Luffy turned to his crew, the wide smile still over his face. "We've made it! One Piece is here somewhere! Let's look for it!"

"AYE!"

Luffy turned–and without a second thought to where his nakama were going–leapt down to floor level of Raftel's center room and through the first tunnel he found.

"Wait, Luffy!" called Nami, leaping down after him. "What are you thinking?!"

"Big treasure's always in the center of the island!" echoed her captain's voice. "So, One Piece is going to be there, too!" But Nami was already following the dim-witting rubber-man at the words "big treasure".

Zoro looked around. "I'm gonna look for a place to train... maybe this left way will take me someplace..."

"Oi, oi." said Franky, following him. "I'm coming with you. If you get lost, how're you gonna get out?"

"Shut up!"

"Robin-chwan, where are you going?" swooned Sanji, directing his lust to the other female of the crew. "To find the Polneglyph?"

"Yes, cook-san." Robin replied, not looking at him. "You are free to accompany me if you wish."

"Yo ho ho ho! I shall join you!" said Brook, adjusting his top hat. "I have never seen a Poneglyph... but then again, I have never seen a person of flesh and bone for over fifty years! Yo ho ho..."

"O-oi!" called Usopp fearfully. "D-don't leave Chopper and me here!"

"'Chopper and I'," corrected Robin, smiling at them. "I'm sure you two can fend for yourselves. Ne, Nanahana-kun?"

"I-I guess..." The sniper looked down at Chopper, who watched Robin, Sanji and Brook disappear through the right tunnel. "W-well, no one's gonna come after us here, right? J-just a defenseless liar and reindeer alone in the treasure room."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" called a voice from no-where, which scared Chopper enough to leap into the arms of Usopp.

"W-who's there?!"

A tall man stepped out of the center passage, his black cloak billowing behind him. A large firearm was draped over his shoulder. His right eye was covered by a targeting device. "I am Van Auger, gunman of the Blackbeard Pirates. Pleased to meet you."

A second man riding–or lying on–a horse followed behind Auger, wheezing. "I-I am Doc Q. This is Stronger." He indicated his horse, who coughed hoarsely.

"The horse looks just as sick." said Chopper, wondering if he should help this man instead of fighting him.

* * *

"Luffy! Wait!" Nami ran after him, then punched the back of his head. 

"Oww! What was that for?!" demanded Luffy, eyes watering, one hand on the bulge erupting from his skull.

Nami glared at him, hands on her hips. "Don't wander off like that! I could get killed if I'm left behind!"

"Keep up, Nami. I can't have you killed! Then how will we find our way back of the Grand Line?" Luffy grinned at her and walked further down the passage, Nami at his heels.

* * *

"Well," said Franky, folding his arms. "Maybe I can trust you to find our way out." 

"Shut up!" shouted Zoro. "At least I found a decent place to train!" He breathed and shut his eyes. "Now, if I can just concentrate..."

Far from silence, however, a booming laugh burst through the room. "Gahahaha! Our captain was right! You guys would be here!"

"Hmm?" Franky pushed his sunglasses back up and his eyes narrowed. "Who the hell are you?"

The large man grinned from behind his wrestling mask, flexing his biceps. "Gahahaha! Jesus Burgess, helmsman of the Blackbeard Pirates!"

Zoro stared at Burgess for a moment. "Ah, you're that guy from Jaya. The Champion."

"Yeah, that's right!" said Burgess, leaping down to the floor, the ground cracking beneath his feet. "You two wanna fight?"

* * *

"There! Up ahead!" Robin signaled to her companions to the room ahead. In the center was a raised segment of rock, with a large, rectangular stone bathed in light. "The Rio Poneglyph!" 

The three dashed inside and stopped, staring–not at the Poneglyph–but at the figure standing in front of it. Sanji reached into his pocket and pulled out another cigarette, the lit it.

"So," he sighed. "How are you?"

The pale and sickly looking man tipped his hat, twirling his cane. "I am Laffite. Nice to meet you." He tapped his shoes as he spoke. "I am a member of the Blackbeard Pirates. My captain said we should come here to dispose of your crew."

"Is that right?"

* * *

Luffy looked around the large, empty room. "There's nothing here." 

"That's what you get for just strolling down a tunnel!" Nami growled, shaking her fists. "There's no treasure! You lied!"

"No, there's treasure!" replied Luffy. "One Piece is here, too!"

"Ze ha ha ha ha! Your captain's right, missy!"

"W-wha? I know that voice..." said Nami quietly, backing towards the entrance.

"You do?" asked Luffy.

"Yeah... on Jaya. H-him!" She pointed across the room to where a large man was sitting, cross-legged on the floor. The man smiled, revealing several missing teeth.

"Fancy meetin' you here, Mugiwara." his deep voice rumbled, shaking his beard.

Luffy blinked. "Ah, Messed-up Mouth Ossan. What are you doing here?"

"The name's Blackbeard. And I'm here for the same reason you are." said Blackbeard, standing up. It was a wonder how he could do so; his legs looked like they could break very easily. "To find One Piece."

"Ah," Luffy cracked his knuckles. "You wanna fight for it?"

"Ze ha ha ha ha! What else were we gonna do? Talk like gentlemen?"

* * *

To be continued... 


	2. Clash

**Disclaimer**: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. They are copyright Eiichiro Oda.

* * *

Zoro tapped his foot impatiently on the stone floor as his cyborg nakama and the wrestling champion opponent began a posing contest. "Franky!" The swordsmen snarled. "Cut it out and let me handle this!"

Franky put his large arms together in his signature pose. "Alright, alright, don't get your katanas in a twist. I'll be here to back you up!"

"Just what I need." replied Zoro, turning to face Burgess. "Anyways, I'm your opponent," A devilish grin unfolded across Zoro's normally passive face. "I'll take you down."

A similar grin appeared underneath Burgess's mask. "We'll see about that!" Burgess rushed Zoro with such surprising speed that the green-haired man barely had enough time to raise his blades to block the assault.

Zoro breathed and shut his eyes, hands gripping along the familiar hilts of his swords. "Tatsu... MAKI!" Spinning on the stop, blades facing out, a tornado of energy sent Burgess flying backwards.

"Nitoryuu?" said Burgess, twisting himself so he pushed off the wall with tremendous momentum, blood leaking out from his chest

"Santoryuu." replied Zoro, placing his prized katana, Wado Ichimonji, between his teeth. "Even though you're not a swordsmen... I'll take you down anyways!" He raised Sandai Kitetsu and his newest weapon, Shuusui, up to his temples, pointing them outwards. "Ushi..." Zoro charged, stabbing and retracting his swords at blinding speeds. "BARI!"

CRASHCRASHCRASHCRASHCRASHCRASHCRASH!! The wall where Burgess was a mere second ago had several large gashes in it, each one several inches deep. Zoro turned, sweat dripping down his neck and back. "Damn... he's fast for a big guy." He spied the wrestler engaged in combat with Franky. "OI!"

"Don't worry, 'Marimo'," said Franky, his right hand's skin cover removed. "I can take of this!"

"It's not that!" shouted Zoro, dashing towards the fight. He lifted two swords over his head, in front of his right shoulder. "Now hold him steady!"

"Yosh! Franky..." Franky's torso extended, his legs splitting in half vertically. "Kentauros!"

Burgess stopped in mid-punch at the absurdity. "What the–?" Then he found himself pinned to the wall by the shipwright, who was laughing.

"Hurry, Zoro!"

"Got it! Now move! Ittouryuu... San-Juu-Roku..." Zoro swung with all his might releasing a single, twisting beam of energy. "Pound Hou!"

KA-BLAM! A large explosion of dust and debris filled the room. Zoro hoped that Franky had escaped in time. A loud cough behind him reassured his thoughts. "You got away just in time?"

"Yeah... but so did he."

Zoro turned to find Burgess standing on the far end of the room. "How the hell?"

Burgess laughed. "You almost got me that time... smart, teaming up... but that won't be enough!"

* * *

Usopp looked cautiously at Auger. "Y-you... y-you're a marksmen?!"

Auger nodded, the targeting reticle staring at the long-nosed lair in a creepy I-can-see-right-through-you kind of way. "Yes... I take it you are, as well?"

Usopp looked at the giant slingshot on his back, the Kabuto. "Y-yeah... w-what do you want from us, though?!"

Auger looked at Chopper, taken aback from the sight of a pink-hatted, blue-nosed reindeer in pants. He quickly regained his posture. "Our captain, Blackbeard, sent us–" He motioned to the very sick man draped over a pale-blue horse. "–To fight you."

Chopper gulped. "Y-you w-wanna fight?! We'll give you one! R-right, Usopp?!"

Usopp looked at his nakama, and saw the fire dancing in the little doctor's eyes. He remembered what they had encountered on Thriller Bark. They had faced zombies, ghosts, and a giant. They could handle this... right?

* * *

Sanji sighed smoke from his cigarette, feeling it settle in his lungs. "Brook, Robin-chan..." He announced to the historian and musician. "I'll take care of this guy... get up to the Poneglyph." Sanji lifted his head to look at Lafitte as the two rushed up to the pedestal. "If you're a gentleman, you'll let the lady pass."

The thin man nodded, tap shoes clicking on the stone. "Of course... that can't interfere with our fight."

Sanji tapped the ash off his cigarette and placed it back in his mouth, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Collier..." Sanji ran towards Lafitte at a steady pace, then leapt up, snapping his right leg out, targeting his opponent's neck. "Shoot!"

FWSH! Lafitte disappeared, leaving Sanji to settle back on the floor, reappearing behind him.

"..." Sanji paused, taking another drag. "I see." Quick as he could manage, Sanji flipped onto his hands, driving his heels into Lafitte's legs, but Lafitte managed to leap up.

"Have to do better than that." Lafitte said, grinning out from under his top hat.

"Selle!" Sanji did a semi-back flip, driving the top of his foot into his opponent's back, sending the thin man across the room into the wall with a SMASH! "Never tell a cook how to improve his cooking." The blonde said, starting to walk over to the wreckage. "Let's see... how much more preperation time do you need?"

* * *

To be continued... 


	3. Exchange

**Disclaimer**: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. The yare copyright Eiichiro Oda.  
**Note**: I know the chapters have been getting shorter, but sometimes it's hard to write what you want without giving away too much.

* * *

Chopper shifted to his human form; his antlers disappeared, legs growing, shoulders broadening and arms thickening. He debated whether to consume a Rumble Ball or not–he had no idea what Doc Q's fighting technique was, if the sickly man had any in the first place.

Usopp had pulled out the large, green slingshot, the Kabuto, staring at Auger. The liar wouldn't admit it, but he was afraid. Rob Lucci of CP9 was frightening, but this guy... he gave off the impression of being able to look right through you and read your mind... Usopp's fingers tightened around the staff of his weapon. "Chopper..." he said to the doctor, not turning. "You'll help me out, right?"

"Of course," said Chopper, clenching his fists as well. "We're nakama. You should never doubt each other."

"You're right." breathed Usopp, loading some ammunition into the pouch. "Let's go..." He pulled back the sling, took aim and fired. "Namari Boshi!" The lead ball sped towards Auger, but the gunman said nothing, his facial expression not changing even the slightest...

Not even when he caught the projectile in his bare hand.

* * *

Luffy stretched out his legs and arms, flexing them slightly, his face calm. He had given his precious straw hat over to his navigator to keep it from getting damaged from the fight. The captain regained his posture and cracked his knuckles, staring at Blackbeard. "Ossan," he said. "You're gonna get your ass kicked, you know that?"

"Zeh ha ha ha!" Blackbeard laughed, grinning. "Mugiwara, if you're anything like your brother–"

"Ace?" asked Luffy, his eyes wide. "What about Ace?"

Blackbeard's grin grew horribly wide. "He challenged me... and lost. In fact, my victory was so impressive that the World Government granted me Shich–"

WHAM! Luffy's fist drove itself into Blackbeard's stomach, fueled by rage. Time seem to slow up to the point where Blackbeard collided with the wall behind him, feeling the blood leak out from his remaining teeth.

Luffy snorted, cracking his knuckles again, the sound echoing ominously through-out the cavern. "If you beat Ace... you must have an Akuma no Mi..."

"Zeh ha ha.. That's right..." Blackbeard stood up, pushing the rubble off his shoulders. "I ate the Yami-Yami no Mi... I'm a shadow man. Allow me to demonstrate..." A swirling mass of inky blackness lifted off of the large man's shoulders up to the ceiling of the cavern.

Luffy stared, not looking impressed. He charged towards Blackbeard, his fists flying out more than a normal human's. "Gomu-Gomu no... Gatling!"

"Kurozu." muttered Blackbeard, holding a hand towards the rubber man's multitude of punches.

"Nah?" Luffy felt his feet lift off the ground and was sent flying towards Blackbeard. "W-w-w-what the...?!"

Blackbeard reached out and his hand closed around Luffy's throat. "Zeh ha ha... You know, Mugiwara... how do you feel?"

"Why do you care?!" snarled Luffy, swinging his feet around and connecting them with the back of his opponent's neck, releasing the sweaty hand from his neck. Luffy fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Luffy!" called Nami, clutching the straw hat to her chest. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine... but... I feel like my strength has been drained..." He turned to Blackbeard, furious. "What the hell was that?"

"The power of the devil, m'boy...I can drain the power of another Devil Fruit user!"

* * *

Sanji peered into the hole he made in the wall. "Interesting. He disappeared." There was a shuffle behind him, and the former sous-chef swung around and felt his heel meet Lafitte's ribcage. "You're noisy as hell when you move around like that."

Lafitte scowled, his top hat having been knocked off from when he collied with the wall. "This is a move passed down from the World Government itself! It's used by assassins and some Naval officers as well!"

Sanji sighed, cigarette smoke wafting from his mouth. "Idiot..." His eye narrowed. "We fought someone with this technique just a week ago. Cipher Pol Number Nine... Roukushiki users... this is nothing new to me. Flanchet!" Seeing the opportunity for a free hit, Sanji took it, shooting his leg into Laffite's almost non-existent stomach. "Robin-chan! How's it going?"

"Fine, Cook-san." replied the historian, not looking up from the large black stone, her hand running over the tracings made by various people, mostly Gol D. Roger. "Fascinating..." she murmured.

"What is fascinating," said Brook, leaning against the Poneglyph, twirling his cane on his arm. "Is that you can read such strange writing! Yo ho ho!"

* * *

To be continued... 


	4. Sogeking

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. They are copyright Eiichiro Oda.

* * *

Time seemed to slow for Usopp as Auger pulled out his rifle and took aim. The liar saw his life flash before his eyes. He only had two regrets: the first was not being able to meet up with his father. The second was not seeing Kaya again. The shots echoed in his ears, as did Chopper's voice, faintly calling, "Usopp, duck!"

Only he didn't duck. The bullets from the rifle had missed. Accidently? Doubtful. Intentional? Doubtful.

"Those were warning shots." said Auger calmly, watching the smoke from his shots rise from his weapon. "You try those childish attacks on me again and I will kill you."

_T-these are real pirates_. Usopp reminded himself. _They won't show mercy._ "What should we do, Chopper?"

The reindeer paused, taking a look at Doc Q–who had fallen off his horse–before answering. "I'll help you with Auger. I don't think this guy is going to do anything."

"Yosh. Then I'll show you the skill that took down the head of Cipher Pol Number Nine!" Usopp reached into his bag and pulled out another pellet. "Kemuri Boshi!" There was an explosion of pinkish smoke that billowed through the treasure room. Chopper looked around before detecting Usopp's gunpowder-ish scent. "Tamago Bushi!" the reindeer heard his friend cry.

SPLAT! Chopper wheeled around and tried to suppress a laugh. It was absolutely ridiculous. Auger's targeting reticule covered in rotten egg.

Doc Q wheezed joyfully. "He got you there, Auger!"

The sniper snarled and fired a few more shots into the smoke, which cleared a few seconds then after, Usopp nowhere to be seen. "Come out and play, you little–"

"I'm up over here!" Chopper followed to see, not Usopp, but Sogeking, an alter ego created by Usopp to invade Enies Lobby without getting a bounty. Sogeking had 30 million on his head., though.

"Sogeking! Where'd Usopp so?" asked the impressionable doctor, eyes sparkling.

"Have no fear, he went back to the ship. He found me passing and explained what was going on. Thus, I am here!" He raised Kabuto up high... only to have a bullet pass over it. "Eep!"

"Long nose or not..." growled Auger, raising his gun up to Sogeking's perch. "I'll fill you full of holes." He squeezed the trigger.

* * *

"So it's a Mystery Power..." muttered Luffy, standing up and brushing the rubble off his shoulders. He glared unnerving at Blackbeard. "So, if I touch you directly..."

"I'll take your strength one bit at a time." finished Blackbeard, grinning his horrible grin. "Until you're weak and trembling at my feet..."

"You wish." replied Luffy, jabbing his fists into the ground. He pulled them out, holding two large chunks of earth. "If I can't touch you hand to hand... I'll do it this way! Iwa Luffy!"

"Rock Luffy...?" repeated Nami from her spot in the doorway, her captain's hat over her orange hair. "I hope this is a good thing..."

"Gomu-Gomu no... Iwa Pistol!" An elongated punch from Luffy is always a dangerous thing, but add a few inches of solid rock at the end of a bullet train, and you have very serious injuries. Luffy expected Blackbeard to dodge or turn into darkness... but his opponent did nothing but take the punch head-on.

"Gaah..." Blackbeard spat blood, clutching his stomach. "With everything this fruit gives me, I get bad things..."

"What is he talking about?" grumbled Luffy, pulling his fist back with a snap.

"Wait a minute!" cried Nami suddenly. "If he can pull your body in with gravity, then he has to do that with your attacks, too! That means he can't absorb them or bypass them!"

"Damned wrench..." Blackbeard raised his hand to her. "Kuro–"

"ORYAAA!" Instead of pulling the girl towards him like he wanted, Blackbeard pulled in the two rock boxing gloves, courtesy of Luffy. WHAM! "Gghh.."

"Gomu-Gomu no STAMP!" Luffy's sandaled foot collided with Blackbeard's face, sending him falling backwards to the floor.

Nami spared at look at Luffy and gasped. His face was dark and forbidding. She had rarely seen his face like this on the ship.

Blackbeard sat up, his face covering half of his face. "Brat..."

"If you touch Nami... or try that again..." said the normally care-free teenager in a low voice. "I'll beat your face down into your ass."

"You want to try me, Mugiwara?" replied Blackbeard. "I can be pretty mean when I want to..."

"So can I." Luffy leapt up onto the domed ceiling of the room, then ran as fast as he could, until he looked like a giant red-and-blue cloud. Nami was barely able to notice his fists as they flew out. "Gomu-Gomu no... Harike-n!" Similar to Gatling, two fists stretching and retracting over and over to one point was devastating. Even more so the opponent has an uncontrollable field of gravitational pull...

* * *

Zoro reached over and pulled the bandana off his left arm and put it around his head, casting a shadow over his eyes. "Okay, Franky... how do you want to do this?"

"Well," mused the cyborg, rubbing his three chins (or as Luffy liked to call it, a "butt-butt chin") "Since this Burgess guy is running away... we should probably just go ahead and fill the entire room with attacks."

"Okay," agreed Zoro. "But you stand back. If we're gonna finish this guy, you need max fuel."

"Supah." said the cyborg, and stepped a few paces back, eyeing Zoro as the swordsman eyed Burgess.

"Sia..." Zoro adjusted his swords so that the bladed edges pointed away form him. Spinning on the spot once more, Zoro created a whirlwind of energy expanded outwards over the stone floor. "KURUU!" Unlike Tatsu Maki, this attack made a tornado shorter, but a wider horizontal range. He felt the attack connecting and smirked.

He spotted Burgess kneeling on the floor, coughing up blood. This was his chance. If he was quick enough... actually, he didn't have to quick, as long as he could hit the champion. "Nanajuni...Pound Hou!" Larger and stronger than San-Juu-Ruko Pound Hou, this, Zoro felt, was his best bet for now until he could put his plan to use.

A cry of pain and an explosion of dust and rock told Zoro he had succeeded. For now, at least. He wondered what his next move should be. "You have yet to land a blow on me." He taunted.

* * *

To be continued...


	5. Full Power

**Disclaimer**: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. They are copyright Eiichiro Oda.

* * *

Robin's hand gripped the edge of the Poneglyph. She could feel tiny grooves under her fingers. More scriptures? She took a step over and saw it. Gol D. Roger's writing. Just like from the Poneglyph on Skypiea. The dark-haired woman leaned in closer in order to read it.

_To those who wish to know the cryptic "Will of D", _it read. _I congratulate you on making it to Raftel. I have been informed that this island was the home of the ancient kingdom that ruled our world. They left these Poneglyphs as a memoriam– _

"I know this already." muttered Robin to herself, hearing Brook shift a little at her side. "Let's see..."

_The Will of D is a symbol of the link between members of a family. Only people with a close bond can hold this title and obtain this Will. I know not who will obtain this in the future_, _but I know only of Monkey D. Garp, his son Dragon, and the giant Saul._

"Saul..." Robin thought back to the Ex-Vice Admiral who saved her life in her childhood. "They are connected... Roger and Luffy... Garp, Dragon, even Saul..." She leaned closer and read the final lines.

_The Will of D will result in a battle that will determine who will be my successor. The next King of the Pirates._

Next to this was crude writing, different than that carved into the Poneglyph's front. "Marshall D. Teach. Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates." With wide eyes and fear flooding her, Robin's head shot up. Sanji looked at her.

"Something wrong, Robin-chan?" he asked. But it was Brook who answered.

"Hey, look out!"

"Hmm?" Sanji turned back just in time to avoid being skewered by Laffite's cane. "What the?!"

Lafitte smirked. "I'll show you the brutality that got me banned from West Blue. I was a police officer there, you know. My cane's extendable and is loaded with a razor-sharp point." He pressed a button on the cane's handle and it retracted. Another click and the point embedded itself in Sanji's right shoulder.

* * *

Luffy's new attack had knocked out several more of Blackbeard's teeth, as well as bruising his arm and shattering a couple of ribs. "You're tougher than I take you for." the young captain mused in an un-Luffyish way.

"Lotta people say that,"replied Blackbeard, wiping his face. "By the way, does the name 'Red-Haired' Shanks mean anything to you?"

"Shanks?" repeated Luffy blankly. "He's my idol. What about him?"

"I'm about to do to you what I did to him." said Blackbeard plainly, pulling Luffy towards him with his gravitational powers. "And with me taking your powers, there's nothing you can do to stop me..." One of Blackbeard's hand raised up. "From scaring your face more than it is!"

"Swing Arm!" An electric charge zapped Blackbeard, causing him to yell in pain. Luffy wasn't affected due to his rubber body, but was dropped to the cave floor and instantly took several deep breathes. He spared a look up and saw Nami holding her Perfect Clima-tact, glaring daggers at the opposing pirate.

"What are you doing?" Luffy gasped, sitting up and massaging his throat.

"Helping you," his navigator said, reaching out an arm to pull him up... only to bash him in the head, reacquainting him to stone and dirt.

"OWW! Why'd you do that?!"

"For being an idiot and getting caught in his powers again!"

"Better than getting you involved!"

"He'd come after me one way or another!" Nami sighed and pulled her captain up again. "Look, you may be stupid, but you're the only one who can beat this guy. Any ideas?"

"A few!" Luffy replied as he got pulled towards Blackbeard again. Stretching his arms, he pulled out a large chuck of stone and it slammed against the shadow man's body. "Can't get me now!" Luffy then reached under, grabbing Blackbeard's ankles. "Gomu-Gomu no..." Pulling with all his might, Blackbeard came flying from under the stone slab, over Luffy's head and into the floor with a mighty crash. "Gyaku Suplex!"

* * *

It soon became apparent to Chopper what Doc Q's area of battle was–explosives. The weak-looking man had offered the naive reindeer some apples only to start throwing them everywhere. At first Chopper thought Doc Q was crazy... until the apples blew up.

Trying to ignore the pungent smell of singed fur, Chopper pulled out a Rumble Ball and swallowed it. "Jumping Point!" Body shrinking and legs becoming nimble and strong, Chopper leapt over Stronger as his owner tossed more deadly fruits at him. The scent that drifted up from the remains made Chopper's eyes water.

"You use nitro glycerin in your explosives?" he asked Doc Q, shifting into his Heavy Point.

"From seed to tree." wheezed the rival doctor. "Makes the best sound when it goes ka-blooey... now let's see if Fate will let you live or die."

* * *

Usopp watched Auger rise his rifle up at him again. "If these are regular bullets, what's the worst that can happen?" he thought to himself, pulling back Kabuto's string. "Rokuren Mamushi Boshi!" Despite firing a single shot, the six explosives swerved around, converging towards Auger.

The opposing gunmen was frighteningly calm. He fired six bullets which, amazingly, hit Usopp's shots and created a cloud of fire and gunpowder.

"This is bad," Usopp thought, leaping off from his perch on the wall. "He's matching me shot for shot... what can I do?!"

* * *

Sanji stumbled a bit, hand moving to his wound. It wasn't deep, as far as he could tell. Chopper would fix him up quick. But first he had to deal with Lafitte. "There's not much meat on your bones, is there?" he murmured.

"Not really," said Lafitte's voice from behind him, along with the same click. He attempted to stab Sanji in the back with his spear-cane, but the chef has quick to react and slid to the side.

"Shitty-stick." Sanji growled, crouching down as Laffite swung his cane to try and behead him. Shifting his weight to one hand, Sanji spun around almost 360 degrees and slammed his heel into Laffite's ribs. "Concasse!"

Blood splashed up from Laffite's mouth. He didn't think he'd be tasting his own. Not tonight, at least. "Annoying."

"You're one to talk." replied Sanji, inhaling deeply from his cigarette. "Let's see... if you're gonna keep moving around like that... I'm not gonna land a single attack on you."

"One might wonder how you'd do that, yes." admitted Laffite, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

* * *

"He's more stubborn than you," Zoro said calmly to Franky as Burgess pulled himself out of the rubble. "And he participates in a fake spectacle."

"Maybe that's why he wears the mask." added Franky, rubbing his chin again. "Too many folding chairs to the face."

Zoro smirked. "That how you got your nose?"

"Shut up."

"Wanna finish this, then?" asked Zoro as Burgess charged like an angry rhino: blinded by rage and very powerful if his attacks connect.

"Sure." Franky whipped out a T-shaped pipe, spinning it between his fingers before attaching it to marked spots on his lower arms. With a grunt, air began to rushing through the pipe into his arms, which inflated.

Zoro moved in point-blank range of his nakama's attack, facing Burgess, his blades ready.

"Supah Fra-Zo..." Zoro could tell it was coming. He braced himself for the impact of Franky's compressed air cannonball against his back, which would send him rocketing towards the wrestler. "Coup de..."

The whoosh of wind filling his ears, Zoro kept his gaze on Burgess, who wasn't showing any signs of stopping. As he felt his feet lift off the floor, the swordsmen crouched slightly. "Hyou..." An eerie green aura surrounded Zoro as he rotated clockwise. "Kin..."

With Franky's strongest technique and his own mastery of his katanas, Zoro slashed rapidly at Burgess' flesh while spinning horizontally at hurricane speed. "Dama!"

The next few moments where filled with the smell of blood and the taste of vomit. Kneeling over, Zoro became slightly re-acquainted with his lunch. He silently cursed the ero-cook as he sheathed his katanas. He heard Franky walk up to him.

"What'll we do if he gets back up?" the cyborg asked, offering a hand.

"..." Zoro wobbled a bit but shrugged. "I dunno. Shoot him or something?"

* * *

Blackbeard was relentless, Luffy would admit that. The rubber pirate had just taken several blows and he was pretty sure that the pain was worse than it should be. "Shit... I gotta find a way... to make sure he doesn't... grab me again..."

Nami gripped her Clima-Tact a little tighter as he staggered slightly. "Luffy, please tell me you have another idea."

"Kinda." Luffy spread his legs and lowered his head as if he were bowing. "Stand back."

Nami watched as three bulbs appeared in Luffy's legs, then shrunk down into his feet. A sort of ripple moved up her captain's body. Instantly, Luffy's skin turned pink and a light mist began to rise off his body. The process was repeated and more steam was now filling the chamber.

"Gear Second." Luffy raised his head up and looked at Blackbeard, whose face was twisted into a bewildered look. "So, Ossan... ready for me to kick your ass?"

* * *

To be continued...


	6. Finale

**Disclaimer**: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. They are copyright Eiichiro Oda.

* * *

The pain stinging through-out Sanji's body made him want to faint. It felt as if there was something behind Laffite's cane besides a razor-sharp point. He inhaled on his cigarette again, which relaxed him somewhat. Maybe he should just rest and take a nap... let Brook handle this shitty-anorexic...

"N...no..!" Sanji focused, clenching his fists inside his pockets. "I can do this... just gotta..." He stumbled.

Laffite chuckled. "Feeling the effects of my tranquilizers yet? It's so hard to subdue criminals when they move again so much..."

The cook's back was about three inches from the ground when he shot back up. Bracing his leg, Sanji spun around and around and around, so fast he became and black-and-yellow blur. Then he stopped, a fierce look of determination on his face.

"Planning on joining the ballet?" Lafitte asked. Then he smelled it. The burning of clothes and the humidity of the cave. "What??"

Sanji lifted up his right leg, the lower part now glowing red, paired with a terrifying sizzling sound. "Diable Jamble." Glancing up at Laffite, he said "When I get mad, I 'heat up'..."

* * *

"Gomu-Gomu no... Jet Pistol!" Luffy fired a punch so fast the air around his arm seemed to explode. His fist connected with Blackbeard's cheek and left an imprint, much like when he fought Bellamy in Mock Town.

Nami stared. She knew Luffy was strong, but this... this was a whole new step. "I-is this what he came up with... after Aokiji?"

Luffy was moving faster as well, disappearing and reappearing in the blink of an eye. He pounded Blackbeard so quickly that the opponent could not counter. The large man attempted to fire spears of darkness, but they either missed or were deflected.

"Little brat..." Blackbeard slammed his palm against the stone, which turned black. "I'll catch you... Black Hole!"

With a horrible squelching sound, everything on the wall and ceiling–rocks, cobwebs, bones–were absorbed into Blackbeard's hand. Luffy once again found himself face-to-face with the new Shichibukai.

"You didn't get everything," growled Luffy.

"Mm? Seems like I got you! Zeh ha.. Hey, where're your arms?!"

"Right here. JET BAZOOKA!" Luffy's hands slammed into Blackbeard's jaw. There was a satisfying crunch and blood gushed out like a geyser. Landing on his own two feet with ease, Luffy smirked. "Ossan, you're a horrible pirate..."

"Liberation!" spat Blackbeard, holding out his hand, palm out, and everything previously swallowed up was shot out at Luffy, but it was futile. Luffy swerved and shot around, dodging jagged rocks and such, slamming his foot into Blackbeard's chest.

"Jet Stamp! Jet Whip! Jet Twin Pistol! Jet Missile!" The barrage continued until the steam disappeared and Luffy's skin returned to its normal hue. Kicking off from Blackbeard's kneeling body, Luffy landed on his back beside Nami, who was near the entrance.

"You're insane!" she cried once he stood up. "What if he gets back up?! Can you keep fighting him?!"

He grinned, facing her with that gleam in his eye. "That's why I have you, right?"

* * *

Getting tired of dodging bomb apples (a waste of fruit, really), Chopper shifted into his Arm Point, his forearms bulking up to immense proportions. "This is it... Kokutei..." Chopper sped towards Doc Q, throwing his right arm back, aiming for the chest. If his opponent was as weak as he looked, a single punch of this magnitude would incapacitate him. "Roseo!"

Unfortunately, the attack missed. Stronger the horse had gotten in the way and took Chopper's iron hooves dead on. Blood burst from the sakura-shaped wound, but the horse stood. It neighed something angrily at the reindeer, who blinked.

"'I won't let my master fail?' Fail at what? Killing me?!"

Stronger nodded.

Usopp noticed this and decided to help his friend. "Sorry," he said to Auger. "But this little guy needs help! Torimochi Boshi!" The pellet shot down the end of Auger's rifle and a gooey substance bubbled out. "Enjoy getting that out!" Sogeking cackled as he dashed towards Stronger, Doc Q and Chopper. "Now, for you... good thing I saved this..." He placed a pink pellet in Kabuto's pouch and fired it into Stronger's mouth. "Hissatsu Nemuri Boshi!"

The horse collapsed, asleep.

"S-stronger, wake up!" wheezed Doc Q. "I can't... eh?!"

Chopper dodged more apples, then slammed his hoof into the rival physician's chest the cracking of ribs echoing through-out the cavern. "Thanks, Sogeking."

"No problem whatsoever."

* * *

"Diable Jamble: Premier Haché!" Leaping with his un-heated leg, Sanji slammed his right one into Laffite's shirt, which was incinerated instantly and a large, third-degree burn where the shoes made impact.

"GAAAAH! HOT! HOT! I-IT'S BURNED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO MY BONES!!"

"That must hurt," quipped Brook. "Yo ho ho!"

Sanji wasn't finished. He kicked Laffite upwards with his left leg, then leapt up. "You've pissed me off... be thankful you didn't hurt Robin-chwan... Diable Jamble..." He swung his right leg up and smashed it into Laffite's skull. "Flambage... SHOT!"

CRASH! Laffite's frail body collided with the Poneglyph and fell to the floor. Robin checked his pulse. "You knocked him out, Cook-san."

"I know." Sanji replied, the redness disappearing from his leg. He began to walk back over, despite having a slight limp. "How's the history lesson going?"

"Dem bones, dem bones, dem ol' dry bones!" cackled Brook, losing his head completely–literally. "Hey, what?? No, I must get back on mah bodeh!"

"Funny, isn't he?" giggled Robin, turning back to the black stone, ignoring the smoldering body beside it.

* * *

To be continued...


	7. Treasure

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or any of it's characters. They are copyright Eiichiro Oda.

* * *

Auger finally pulled off the sticky goo off from his rifle. That long-nosed brat was going to pay. He lifted his gun up and got the opposing marksmen in his sights. "Die."

Fortunately, Usopp was quicker. He lifted up his Sogeking mask and shot a black pellet before jumping out of Auger's bullet's path. "Koshou Boshi!"

"Koshou?" repeated Auger just before the pellet came into contact with his face in a cloud of smoke. He sneezed. It was pepper! Sneezing again, Auger slipped and fell to the floor, landing on something very sharp.

Usopp laughed triumphantly. "Watch out for my caltrops! I tossed them down while you were distracted by my Kemuri Boshi!" Usopp pulled back Kabuto's string and took aim. "Now, face my new multiple strike barrage! Hissatsu Hino-Shuriken Ryuu Seigun!" Pouring oil over his chain of throwing stars, he lit them on fire and released the string.

Auger looked up just in time to see the blazing assault fly towards him, but there wasn't enough time to dodge or counter. "Well, this sucks," he lamented.

"Now what?" asked Chopper, watching Auger jump out of the cave into the sea.

"We collect the treasure," came Robin's voice. The doctor and sniper turned to see their historian and musician holding their cook between them.

"Sanji!" cried Chopper, and he rushed over to heal the sous-chef. "He's broken a couple of ribs... puncture wounds and tranquilizer... this could take a while."

"Heh, figures the Ero-Cook would get injured." Zoro wandered from the hallway, Franky behind him. "You guys fight these Blackbeard pirates, too?"

Usopp nodded as Robin sprouted more arms in order to collect some of the treasure nearby. "Yeah, Chopper and me just beat two of their members. Are they blood-thirsty or what?"

* * *

Luffy and Nami watched as Blackbeard pulled himself out of the rubble. Nami gripped her Clima-tact more while her captain just stared, panting.

"You're a pain in the ass, Mugiwara." grumbled Blackbeard, spitting some blood out of his mouth. "I can't get you..."

Almost immediately, Nami knew what was going to happen. She split apart her weapon and launched hundreds of red balls and blue counterparts into the air as she felt herself being pulled away towards the giant man.

Luffy snarled and dashed at Blackbeard, fist stretched back. "I told you to leave her alone!" Oblivious to the large, black cloud forming above, Luffy shot his fist at Blackbeard, who grabbed it.

"Brat," grinned Blackbeard, his horrible breath blowing in Nami's face. She blanched and shot another orb, yellow this time, up to the cloud. "Thunderbolt Tempo!" She managed to escape just in time; Luffy delivered a headbutt to his opponent, allowing the grip around her neck to loosen up. She landed on the stone floor as she heard the lightning bolt hit it's target.

Luffy was unaffected, but he bit into his thumb joint, took a deep breath and blew into it. He redirected his breath into his right leg, inflating several times beyond it's normal size. "Gear Third! Ossan..." he growled, eyes flaring in anger. "You never attack Nami again!" He twisted himself around and swung his humongous leg around in a semi-circle. "Gomu-Gomu no Gigant Muchi!"

Blackbeard went flying into the wall, which shattered, sending him flying dangerously over the sea. Luffy sent the air back to his chest, giving him the look of a humanoid balloon. Stretching one arm around a stalagmite, he made sure his legs where right above Blackbeard. "Gomu-Gomu no... Gigant Ono!"

The rival Pirate king wannabe fell into the ocean with a splash and a crack. Water rushed downwards as if someone had pulled out the drain plug. Nami watched, peeking out from behind the large hole Luffy had made. "Oh, I get it! It's an underwater chamber!"

The chamber seemed to be above sea level a bit, because the top was still visible once the water finished draining. Luffy got excited. He sent the air back to his chest and stretched into the new cavern. "Nami! Grab my arm!"

She did so, and Luffy released the stalagmite, sending himself and his navigator into the hole-in-the-sea. They landed with a crash, but luckily Nami found herself on Luffy's elephant pillow of a stomach. "Oh, wow..."

A huge rush of air greeted her statement, and soon a two-foot tall Luffy was by her side. "What?"

"Treasure!" Nami cried happily, throwing her arms around–not the forbidding treasure chest in front of her–but the midget rubber man next to her. "Oh, Luffy, you found Roger's secret treasure room!"

A rather awkward silence followed, and Nami realized that Luffy was being smothered in her chest. Blushing furiously, she set him down and rushed over the wood container a few feet away. "Um..."

"You think this is where One Piece is?" asked Luffy quietly, now back to his original size, though hatless. Nami was still wearing it.

"Maybe," she replied, and began looking around for a key or something she could use to open the chest. Luffy, on the other hand, grabbed the lock and pulled it right off, snapping it. He grinned and lifted open the chest.

Nami stared. It was a normal, giant treasure chest, but there was nothing in it except a piece of paper. With a trembling hand she reached in and pulled it open, Luffy peering over her shoulder to read it.

_To those who dream,_

_I congratulate you__on locating my hidden room. My ultimate treasure would be too easy to find if it where on the island itself. However, there is a problem. The greatest treasure in the world is not One Piece. That was a trick to weed out the weaklings from the true adventurers. The real thing which deems you worthy of my title is something you must find for yourself.__Since you are reading this, there must be at least one other person with you. That's the whole idea. One person is never strong enough to find what they want most. It takes two to fit the pieces together into one._

_Signed,_

_Gol D. Roger_

_The Pirate King_

"What does that mean?" muttered Luffy, a finger up his nose. "Where's One Piece?"

Nami scanned the letter again, frowning slightly. "Don't you get it? T-there's no One Piece... the real treasure is something else... but what?"

"Maybe it's Two Piece!" Luffy replied, pointing to the last lines on the parchment. "See? It says 'it takes two to fit together into one'!"

Nami ran fingers through her orange hair. "No, that's not it... 'one other person'... 'one person is never strong enough' wait... that's it!" She wheeled around to find Luffy staring at her in confusion. "Luffy, remember that talk we had on the ship a couple of days ago?"

"The one with Sanji going girl-crazy all the time?"

"Yes! That one! Usopp said something about a man and a woman and how they fit like puzzle pieces?"

Luffy laughed. "Nami, we're not puzzle pieces!"

"No, don't you see?" Nami smiled widely at him, excited. "Two pieces to a puzzle... a man and a woman... 'one person is never strong enough'...?"

When he didn't reply, she answered for him. "The reason we're both in here is because we're here together." She put emphasis on that last word. "Roger must've done something so only two people can come in here! This is his secret! One Piece was a myth! The only way you can become the strongest pirate in the world is if you have the strongest thing in the world!"

Luffy lit up. "Oh, yeah! Makino, the barmaid at my village, told something to me the day Shanks left! She said that the strongest thing isn't muscle or Devil Fruit powers or brains... it was... it was..." He struggled to remember.

Nami watched him think for a moment. "Was it... love?"

"Yeah, that's it! I found it odd that she'd tell me that... maybe it was the way she was acting around Shanks..."

"Luffy..."

"Huh?"

Nami set his straw hat back on his head, smirking slightly. "Do you love me?"

Luffy grinned. "Well, yeah... and I think more than everyone else..." He reached over and kissed her lightly. "But don't tell them that I told you!"

* * *

To be continued... 


	8. Smoke

**Disclaimer**: Heck, you probably know this by heart now.

* * *

"Is that everything?" asked Usopp, gathering up what bags of treasure he could carry. His fellow crewmates were picking up bags as well; Zoro had six bags filled with gold and silver stacked up on one shoulder.

"Yeah, I should hope so." Franky replied, slinging a couple bags over his shoulder. "We can't get everything, but we got what we could."

They began walking back towards the _Thousand Sunny_ when Chopper stopped and sniffed. "Wait... I smell Luffy and Nami!" He turned towards the center tunnel where, sure enough, the happy-go-lucky captain was walking through, talking animatedly with Nami. The young pirate noticed his crew, grinned and dashed to them.

"Hey, guys!" Luffy said, smiling. "Ooh, you got the treasure? Cool!"

"Are you okay, Captain-san?" Robin asked as Nami hurried over. "Did you fight Blackbeard?"

"Yeah. Kicked his ass." Luffy saw some other bags on the floor and picked them up with ease. "Let's go!"

"Wait!" interjected Nami, as if just remembering something. "Luffy... we should tell them."

"Huh? Tell them what?" Luffy repeated blankly, only to get punched in the face.

"Oh, right," said Usopp. "Did you find One Piece?"

"There's no One Piece," Nami muttered blandly. She explained about the hidden cavern and Roger's note. Robin was the first to understand, judging by the smile on her face.

The rest of the crew took a little longer. Sanji got it next, puffing on his cigarette quietly. Franky tapped his foot on the cavern floor, then grinned. Usopp and Chopper looked at each other, then at Nami. Zoro said nothing, lifting the bags of treasure in his hands and counting in his head.

"But... did Luffy still become the new Pirate King?" asked Usopp, worried that they came all this way for nothing.

All heads turned to Luffy, who was dancing around singing a song horribly off-key. He noticed their stares and blinked. "Pirate King? Oh, yeah, that's me! I'm the new Pirate King! Ya-hoo!" He leapt in joy and continued dancing.

"That settles it," replied Zoro, walking to the _Sunny_. "Now can we go before something happens?"

Sanji thought to ask what could possibly go wrong now that their captain–leader of a crew worth 667,000,050 belli–was the most powerful pirate in the entire world when the air whistled and an explosion came from outside the cave, shattering a section of the ceiling. "What the–?"

Brook peeked out, his jaw dropping. "M-m-marines!! A whole battalion!"

Zoro groaned. First a Buster Call, now this. "Quick, get the treasure on the ship!" They did so, and a few minutes later found themselves surrounded by white-and-blue clad soldiers. None of the pirates dared to move.

Then the sea of Marines split as a large, white-haired man walked through, two cigars in his mouth. A giant jutte was strapped to his back over his jacket, covered with several cigars on his arms. "Mugiwara," he hissed, purple mist escaping from between his teeth. "Now I've got you."

"Smokey!" Luffy jumped slightly, but kept his gaze on the commodore. "What are you doing here?!"

"Catching you, of course." Commodore Smoker moved aside to allow his ensign, Tashigi, to approach the wanted criminals. Zoro visibly flinched at the sight of her and edged behind Franky. "I've heard you're the new Pirate King."

"So what?" growled Luffy, fists clenched. He didn't want to fight Smoker, because of the latter's Logia Devil Fruit. "You still can't beat me and my crew!"

"That's true," agreed Smoker, nodding. "But my crew will." Silence, then... "Go."

Everything happened at once; Franky, Sanji and Zoro took down the first wave of attacking Marines, Robin tripping some more with extra arms appearing on the ground. Luffy grabbed Nami by the waist and pulled the two of the to the ceiling, allowing Usopp to fire a few rounds from Kabuto.

Chopper and Brook blocked a few blows, then countered. Chopper couldn't use a Rumble Ball anymore, but he could still go into his Heavy Point. Brook pulled out his cane-sword and walked by a few unaware soldiers. He nodded to Smoker, who stared. The sword went back into the cane and the soliders fell to the ground.

Zoro, to his horror, soon found himself face-to-face with the Marine who beared an uncanny resemblance to his long-dead childhood friend. He grimaced, but realized that, sooner or later, this was bound to happen. He pulled out his swords and pointed one at Tashigi. "I don't care if you look like Kuina," he muttered, more to himself then anyone else.

Tashigi was the first to move, pulling out _Shigue_ to hit Roronoa in the chest. He blocked it easily, flicking his wrist to tilt _Kitetsu III_. At the same time, he swung _Shuusui_around only to have Tashigi push off and land safely out of range.

"Not bad," Zoro complimented, pausing to untie his bandana from his left arm and put it on his head. Shadows fell over his eyes, giving him a demonic look. "But I'm serious now. Oni Giri!"

* * *

Luffy stared down Smoker, a mix of determination, fear and anger dancing in his eyes. Luckily, he had stored some meat in his shorts before they landed, so he shoved them in his mouth, tossing the bones over his shoulders with such force it knocked out two of the soldiers approaching Franky from behind. "Gomu-Gomu no Pistol!" His elastic punch was much quicker than at Lougetown, but the opposing Marine morphed half his face into white smoke.

"If you know you can't beat me..." Smoker drifted behind Luffy, arm turning to smoke. "Why do you fight?"

Luffy didn't turn around. "To protect my nakama..." He dropped to the floor, just in time to avoid Smoker's Howaito Buro. "And their dreams!" In the split-second Smoker's concentration was lost, Luffy fired a Spear at his chest. The commodore went flying, but quickly recovered.

"Howaito Supaku!" Smoker dived at Luffy, but missed again. "You little worm..."

Luffy stretched his leg up until it touched the ceiling. "Gomu-Gomu no Ono!" CRASH! The impact send chunks of rock flying up from the ground, blocking Smoker's view. Luffy charged, fists flying. "Gatling!" But the punches just went through.

Smoker punched Luffy in the stomach, sending the pirate into a row of Marines chasing Usopp around the cave.

"Shit..." groaned Luffy, standing up. "He's gotta have a weakness, I know it. Crocodile had water, Gasparde had flour... what's this guy weak to?" He thought about Alabasta and how Ace was able to fight evenly with Smoker. "Fire won't help completely... dammit!" Luffy jumped up in time to avoid Smoker's jutte. "Wait... that's got Kairouseki on it... That's it!" Grinning, the rubber pirate stretched for the metal weapon.

Smoker scowled and yanked, pulling the wanted criminal down to the floor. "Little monkey."

"That's what they call me!" Luffy replied, jumping out of the way again to avoid both the jutte and some soldiers who collapsed from Nami's Swing Arm attack. "Gomu-Gomu no...!" Twisting his arm like a corkscrew, Luffy charged, arm drawn back. As he expected, Smoker turned to smoke and began to drift away. But Luff wasn't aiming for Smoker. He grasped one of the spokes of the jutte, then unwound his hand, wrenching the weapon free from the Marine's grasp. "Yoink!" Luffy proclaimed happily.

Smoker felt a vein twitch in his forehead. Was this idiot really serious? "I'm going to enjoy watching you hang from the gallows, Mugiwara."

Luffy stuck his tongue out. "Like hell you're gonna capture me! I'm finally the Pirate King, and no one's going to send me to get hung!"

* * *

"How's it going, suit-bro?" Franky asked, firing off another cannonball from his left arm. He saw how injured Sanji was and knew that, as a pirate in this particular crew, he had to look after his crewmates.

"I'm fine," Sanji replied, sending three or four soldiers flying with a single kick. He inhaled deeply from his cigarette. He thought about Nami and the announcement she had made just a few minutes ago. Was it really that long? It seemed longer... "Shitty-gomu..." he cursed, feeling his leg give away slightly, but he ignored it. "You mistreat Nami-san and I'll flambé you alive!"

* * *

To be continued... 


	9. Tashigi

**Disclaimer**: I do not own One Piece or its characters. The big plot twist, though, is mine.  
**Note**: I apologize for the delay, but a lot of things have been going on lately. Again, I'm sorry. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

The sound of metal clashing and sharp, rapid breaths were the only things reaching Zoro's ears. He had to stay focused if he was to get his nakama – and captain – out of here alive. He looked up at Tashigi and flinched. Why was it every time he looked he got the feeling Kuina was looking back?

"Roronoa..." Tashigi's voice cut through his thoughts like _Shuusui_ through steel. "You're hesitating."

Zoro said nothing, biting down on _Wado_, his head throbbing. He deflected her attack and went on the offense. He had no idea why he hadn't cut the Marine down already... it was confusing. It was as though something was preventing him from doing anything...

* * *

Luffy stood triumphantly, Smoker's jutte held tightly in his hand. This was it. He had the trump card, and all he needed to do was drive the tip into the commodore's chest. "Here I come, Smokey!" yelled the young pirate's voice, his sandals pushing off against the stone floor, arm thrown back, the jutte almost touching the opposite wall. "Gomu-Gomu no..." Fist and metal weapon spun like helicopter blades, too fast to be seen. "FLAIL!"

The impact was so great that it made the cave entrance expand greatly. The wall collapsed under the force of Luffy's punch, and the Pirate King knew the Kairouseki had made contact with the other Devil Fruit user. Stones fell to the floor, breaking into smaller pieces when they landed. Luffy stood there, smirking like the idiot he was.

Smoker pulled himself out of the rubble, hand to his forehead. Blood. He was bleeding. For the first time in a long time. He pulled out some fresh cigars and lit them, gripping them between his teeth. "You are related to Roger..."

Luffy blinked, then titled his head. "What?"

Sighing smoke, the Marine continued. "Your grandfather – Garp – told me stories about the Pirate King. He was just like you, Straw Hat. Without your stupid rubber powers, of course." Then, he smiled. Eerily. "I see what your grandfather meant. Now, I have taken his place."

Luffy blinked again. "Then that means I've replaced Roger. I'm the new Pirate King. I'll keep running from you, after I beat you here. You can't catch me; I'm the strongest pirate in the world." Then he stabbed the jutte into Smoker's chest, leaving the Kairouseki tip embedded. The smokeman was now just a normal human with a giant steel weapon in his stomach.

Luffy wouldn't get another chance like this. He had to use it the best he could. He couldn't risk going into Gear Second. Yet. Luffy stretched both arms back as far as he could, over the arms of his nakama and the Marines. "Gomu-Gomu no..." He charged, letting his body's elastic abilities do the rest. Palms slammed into Smoker's chest, careful not to move the jutte out of place. "Bazooka!"

* * *

Zoro removed _Wado_ from between his jaws to speak. "...You said you had something to say?" He didn't _want_ to listen to Tashigi. But if _was_ important, he might as well. Then he could decide what to do.

Tashigi nodded, sword at her side. Her red glasses were on top of her head. "Roronoa... I've met you before."

"In Lougetown." Zoro finished, irritation creeping into his voice. "I know. You helped me pick out Keitsu."

"I met you before Lougetown." Tashigi corrected with a sigh, feeling her knees shake a bit. "We knew each other.."

"Cut the crap!" shouted Zoro, a vein twitching in his forehead. "You don't look like anyone I'd know, except...!"

"Except... Kuina, right?"

"You wouldn't know about her!!" spat Zoro. He had never felt this angry in a long time. He could feel his hands tightening around his swords' hilts. "I've only told my nakama about her, and––"

"Zoro." Tashigi's voice changed. It sounded... different, and familiar. Tears started to run down her face. "I-I'm sorry, but... Kuina's not dead."

The green-haired man hesitated. She was a Marine, and couldn't lie. She had let them go in Alabasta. But could he really trust her? "Prove it," He said finally. "Prove she's still alive."

Tashigi was quiet for a long time, staring at the ground. Her tears fell to the floor. Wiping her eyes, she looked up, met eyes with Zoro, and said, in the most calm, even voice Zoro had ever heard in his nineteen years of existence. "Roronoa Zoro... Kuina is not dead. Do you know how I know this? It is because... Kuina never died. It was a lie. Once you left the dojo, I joined the Navy..."

"Wait... 'I'?!" Zoro glared. "What the hell are you trying to say?!"

"I joined the Navy, and didn't want you to know. Because if you wanted to be the greatest swordsman, odds were you had to become a pirate. Pirates and the Navy... opposites. I never wanted to arrest you, but..."

"Stop saying 'I'!" Zoro interjected venomously. "You are not Kuina!! She would never join the Marines if she had the same dream as me...!"

"Marines have dreams, too, Zoro." replied Tashigi, still looking at him. "But don't you see it now? Why is it I look so much like Kuina? Why do I like swords so much? Why do I keep following you? Do you know why?"

Zoro shook his head slowly.

"Because... because..." Tashigi managed a weak smile. "Because, Zoro... I _am_ Kuina."

* * *

To be continued...


	10. Alcohol

**Note**: Sorry again for the long delay. Senior year of high school eats up your time. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

  


Luffy had a chance. He could put Smoker out of commission and make his escape. Glancing around quickly, he saw that most of his crew was still standing. He failed to notice Zoro standing a few yards away, dumbfounded by recent revelations.

Taking a deep breath, Luffy went into Gear Second again. This time, pain rippled through his chest. Cringing, the Pirate King felt the steam lift off his body once more and the blood rush. "Okay, Smokey," he said, water vapor drifting out of his mouth. "You be a good boy and stand still."

Summoning all the strength he could, Luffy charged, dead-on at the Commodore, still with the Kairouseki Jutte in his stomach. "Gomu-Gomu no..." His arms were too fast to be seen, too fast to track... no way to dodge. The blasts of air swirled around Luffy like giant flies. "JET GATLING!!"

Smoker felt every force of pressure the pirate put into his final assault. It felt like twelve fists pushing into his body every second. Over and over. There was nothing but pain and blood for the Marine. Over and over. Continuous. He felt his back hit stone, which instantly began to strain.

CRRRRRASSSSHHH!! The wall shattered in mere seconds. Smoker was relived of the pain. He felt himself soaring through the air towards a battleship... a smirk formed across his face. "Monkey..." He managed before blacking out.

* * *

Nami watched Luffy blast Smoker away. She knew what he was thinking. Even when her captain turned his head and opened his mouth to speak, the navigator was running towards the _Sunny_. She could hear Usopp gasping behind her, followed by Sanji, Robin, and the rest of the crew.

"Wait..." She said. "What about Zoro..?" Then she saw him staring at that blue-haired swordswoman. "Zoro!"

"I got him!" said Luffy, a pink arm grabbing Zoro's haramaki. His other arm had reached the _Sunny_'s mast. "Everyone, grab on!" Once he felt fourteen pairs of arms on his body, Luffy pulled them all towards their ship. As the wind whistled in their ears, he said to Franky; "Get ready to blast off!"

"Got it!" The cyborg shipwright called back as they all landed on the lawn of the brigantine sloop. He got up and rushed to the wheel, setting dials and pressing buttons.

"Everyone okay?" Luffy groaned, his skin turning to its normal hue, the steam evaporating. He was breathing deep and heavy.

"For the most part," Robin said, who somehow managed to land sitting on her favorite lawn chair. "Swordsman-san looks like he could use some help, though."

"Eh?" Chopper, now in his Brain Point, looked at the green-haired man. His jaw was slack and his eyes were glazed over. "AHH! DOCTOR! DOCTOR!"

"That's you," Sanji pointed out, pulling out a fresh cigarette, only to realize that his lighter must have fallen into the ocean. "Shit," The cook withdrew into the kitchen to find a match, slamming the door behind him.

No one said anything else. They all looked at Zoro, the swordsman still looking dazed. The _Sunny_ stayed silent, even when Frank activated the Coup De Burst. The explosion lifted them up, away, from Raftel. They had managed to escape the Navy, Luffy the new Pirate King.

No one felt like celebrating.

* * *

The next few days when without any serious events. Nami spent her days in her room, drawing maps, only coming out for meals or a die emergency. Everyone else stayed out of Sanji's way. Everyone knew that he was worried about Zoro, but no one would say it.

"Nee," said Luffy one day, walking down from the _Sunny_'s bow. "Where's Zoro?"

Usopp and Franky looked up from the blueprints they were reading. "Zoro?"

"I think he's up in the crow's nest." Chopper answered, appearing from behind Usopp's legs. "I saw him sneak into the kitchen last night..."

"Hmm.." Luffy stood for a moment before walking towards the mast. Brook (who was nursing an injury from Nami after an unsuccessful panty raid) followed.

"Zoro, open up!" Luffy said, opening the door after climbing the ladder. A bottle rolled through the opening, fell to the deck and shattered. "Huh?"

Brook managed to get a look over his captain's shoulder. "Oh, my..." The entire interior of the crow's nest was covered with bottles; big, small, brown, green, red. Zoro was lying on the couch, passed out, a mug of booze leaking onto the floor.

* * *

"I have a solution," said Nami that night at dinner, finally speaking since the crew had escaped Raftel.

"A solution to what?" Luffy asked, mouth full of steak and potato.

"Zoro's alcoholism." The orange-haired girl said proudly. "He drank his two-month supply in three days. That's very unhealthy."

"So what do we do about Marimo?" asked Sanji, wiping his hands clean on his apron. "I say we chuck him overboard."

"That would be inappropriate," cut in Robin, setting down her glass of wine. "We simply dump all the alcohol overboard."

"Every drop," agreed Nami, nodding. "And we don't let Zoro have any, even if he tries to kill us."

So after much (one-sided) discussion, the crew agreed to do a complete purge of alcohol. Once they were sure Zoro was asleep, they cleaned out all the bottles from the crow's nest, and dumped all remaining booze into the ocean.

"We're gonna have some very drunk fish tomorrow," commented Usopp dryly as he helped Chopper tip the last barrel over the railing.

* * *

Zoro was still asleep the next day. Robin helped Chopper sneak in to make sure it was still a hang-over. It was. Everything was working. For now.

Everybody seemed to be a better mood. Brook played his violin after lunch, which seemed to brighten the entire day. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were back in their mischievous mind set, but going only as far as playing pranks on Franky.

It was the third day since they dumped the alcohol. Usopp spotted a ship heading right for the _Sunny_. The mast had no flag; no Jolly Roger, no seagull. Which meant only three things; a merchant ship, a passenger vessel, or...

"Bounty hunters!" called the sniper down to his teammates. "For us, no doubt!"

Luffy perked up at this. "Finally! Some action!" So then Nami punched him in the face. "Oww!!"

"You still don't realize how dangerous this is, do you?!" The navigator said angrily. "We could die!"

"We won't." said Franky, pulling the skin cover off of his right fist. "Otherwise, we'd all be dead by now."

"I suppose..."

Everyone watched as the enemy ship pulled along side the _Sunny_. The Straw Hats expected a mass rush of men brandishing swords and spears and guns. Then they'd beat the crap out of them and be on their way.

But nothing happened. Until Chopper's nose twitched and he whirled around, eyes wide. "S-sanji! Brook!"

Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Franky, and Robin all turned around to find their cook and musician being held by two, large, burly men. Guns were pointed at the heads of blonde and afro. No body moved. No body spoke.

Until Luffy cracked his knuckles and, looking up from under his hat, a look of pure malice in his eyes, said, "Get the hell off our ship or I'll kick both your asses."

* * *

To be continued...


	11. Hostages

**Note**: Extra credit to those who can tell me the real names of the Hunter Brothers and what fandom they're from.

* * *

The situation aboard the _Thousand Sunny_ had turned tense. Two bounty hunters had snuck aboard and were now holding Sanji and Brook captive. If the Straw Hats made a wrong move, their cook and musician would be dead.

The two bounty hunters were an odd pair. The first one, holding Brook, was tall and muscular. His blue hair was spiked every which way, a giant chin taking up about half his twisted grin. The second one was shorter, but his eyes had a maniac look about them. His hair, silver and slicked back, barely moved in the ocean wind. He moved his blade closer to Sanji's neck eagerly, wanting blood.

Luffy was none too pleased about this development. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, his eyes flaring.

The taller hunter spoke, "Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kozev. This–" He titled his head at his companion, who looked like he might explode from excitement. "–is Nozev. We're the Hunter Brothers. We've come for you combined bounty of 700,000,050 belli."

"Starting with these two," said Nozev, his voice gravely and full of murderous intent. "Oh, please, Kozev, let me cut this one up. Give me three, four hours... you'll be done with the others by then."

"Not now, Nozev." snapped Kozev, before turning to Luffy. "This is quite an odd crew-mate you picked up, Mugiwara."

"Yeah, he's a skeleton. So what?" shot back Luffy. "He's our musician." He stared at Brook, who looked like he was about to prove that, yes, he could poop. "Let him go."

The Hunter Brothers exchanged glances, then looked at Brook. "Well, why not? He looks dead anyways..."

Everything happened at once. Kozev shoved Brook into Usopp, who fell on his back. Nami had her Clima-tact out and had a Thunder Charge ready. Kozev took the time to pull out an odd looking weapon; one end had a curved, sharp blade, and the other looked like a harpoon. He had the harpoon end pointed squarely at Luffy.

"Move and your captain dies," Kozev said, grinning, looking as though he'd pull the trigger anyways. "And then we get 300 million belli, easy." At this point, the two bounty hunters were too busy to notice two pairs of arms sprout from Kozev's back.

"Quatro Fluer..." said Robin, arms crossed in her usual fashion. "Slap!" The four hands slammed on Kozev's neck. He let out a cry and stumbled, the harpoon firing into the _Sunny_'s lawn. Franky rushed forward to smash the man into submission, but a blast of red light hit him in the chest, sending him backwards from the impact.

Nozev had some sort of visor over his eyes; steam was rising from the eye pieces. He kept his blade – a spear – over Sanji's throat. "Stupid pirates," he said.

Sanji, who had stayed silent for the past few moments, reacted. He swung his left leg up above his head, hitting Nozev in the face. The hunter stumbled, the spear moving away from the cook's neck. "Shit.." said the blonde, turning and knocking the spear out of his captor's hands. Nozev recovered quickly, and fired another eye beam, which Sanji barely avoided.

Kozev, meanwhile, was locked in combat with Franky, the shipwright taking eye blasts right to the chest and not recoiling. Kozev fired his harpoon, which Franky dodged, grabbing the chain and tossing the hunter up. "Weapons Left!" A cannonball exploded from the cyborg's left arm, splitting apart from Kozev's saw on the other end of his harpoon.

* * *

Up in the crow's nest, Zoro finally woke up. His head was devoid of pain. He still felt a bit woozy, but he figured that would go away... with more drinking. Eyes still closed, he reached down to the floor for a bottle... and his hand touched wood instead.

Zoro sat up instantly, the wave of pain to his forehead nothing compared to the feeling of confusion. He looked around. His room was clean. Spotless. Not how he left it. "Shit," he grumbled, standing up. His swords were still strapped to his waist. He opened the door and descended the ladder. He didn't even notice his nakama staring down two unknowns. The swordsman was concentrating on the kitchen.

He went inside and opened the fridge, expecting a couple bottles or so. Nothing. No booze. Swearing, he slammed the door and went to the storeroom to drain his barrels of sake. They weren't there. Zoro stood there, a single thought, a single craving, swimming around in his head...

_WHERE THE HELL IS MY BOOZE?!_

* * *

Nozev cackled as he ducked and leapt under and over Sanji's kicks. "C'mon now, blondie! So what if I tried to kill you? I won't do it next time... well, unless you count what I'll do to your mentality!"

"Shut up," snapped Sanji, biting down on his cigarette so hard it might break in two. He needed to roll up some more soon. "Be grateful you didn't take Nami-san or Robin-chwan. You'd be dead by now."

Nozev sighed a bit. "When will heroes learn that they're not meant to make threats?" He fired another eye blast, readying his spear to knock away the cook's jumping kick. "If you're a good guy, you need to be practically insane to fight me.." Nozev then leapt up onto the mast, kicking off, and managed to put a deep cut in Sanji's right leg. "Finally, some blood!"

* * *

Kozev had pulled out a new weapon; some sort of gun that fired off spherical blasts of green energy. A missed shot landed on the lawn and the grass turned a sickly brown. Franky retaliated with a hailfire of nails from his mouth.

'That's disgusting," said Kozev, showing off a horrid smile of glaring teeth. "At least I have a sense of personal hygiene."

"Oh, sure," agreed Franky sarcastically. "I can tell that you smell like a field full of daises from here. Strong Right!" The extended fist was countered with another harpoon blast. The shipwright then – literally – threw off his sideburns at his opponent, who got his arm cut.

"Wow, that ripped!" growled Kozev, looking at his ruined, ratty trenchcoat. "That ripped real nice!"

Franky grinned from behind his sunglasses. "Sorry to have ruined your shirt, bro... let me fix it! Fresh Fire!"

* * *

Interestingly enough, the rest of the crew saw that there were other bounty hunters to deal with. Luffy was looked in fierce combat with a man resembling a snake, who called himself Natkaz and was dealing out blows with a giant three-bladed scissor. Usopp was dealing with a brown-skinned man with wide cheeks named Kava, who seemed to be pulling out strange weapons from out of nowhere.

Brook learned that dealing with a giant black man with wide eyes called Kaider was no walk in the park, especially when he's holding a buzzsaw. Chopper was dodging ice blasts from a silent, grinning killer named Koht, leaving Robin and Nami to deal with the last member, a tempermental pyromaniac.

"My friends call me Naakah," he had said as he pulled out a flamethrower, his eyes gleaming the same color as his dark red hair. "And that may very well be last name you pretty ladies will ever hear."

* * *

The Straw Hats were in trouble. Even now, they forgot all about their last member; Zoro. Who, by the way, was still looking around for some alcohol. Every trace of it seemed to have disappeared during his extra-long nap. Zoro was angry. Very angry. He had to let loose somehow. Cut some people up. Maybe chop off some heads.

Then he'd deal with whoever got rid of all his booze.

If he could find his way out of the storage area in the hull of the _Sunny_, that is.

* * *

To be continued...


	12. Thousand Sunny

**Note**: Okay, you get one last chance to guess about the hunters.

* * *

Luffy twisted his body in midair and tossed an elastic punch at Natkaz, who seemed to float away to dodge. Landing on _Sunn_y's lawn, he grit his teeth. "Dammit! He won't stay still..." He stood up, realizing that his opponent was missing. "What the..?" Then he felt something tickling his legs. "Ahh!!"

A strange mist of a sickly green was floating up, trying to engulf the young pirate, who leapt straight up, only to have the mist jump up after him. Now Luffy was surrounded. But he hadn't lost yet. Spinning his rubber body in two directions at once, Luffy extended his limbs everywhere at once. "Gomu-Gomu no Hanabi!"

The mist dispersed, only to reform into Natkaz, who was grinning. "Think you had me figured out, huh, boy? Guess not. See, I've eaten the Mure-Mure no Mi. I can turn my entire body into a 'swarm' of little insect things... so I'm never, ever outnumbered."

* * *

"Ocho Fluer Twist!" Robin managed to pull Naakah's flamethrower away from Nami, who managed to zap the bounty hunter with a Swing Arm. Naakah grunted, then looked directly at Robin. The historian felt a large wave of pain wash over her brain. Her concentration broken, her extra eight arms disappeared.

"Robin!" cried Nami, sending out a flurry of Cool and Heat Balls to create a fog to temporarily deter their opponent. "Are you okay?"

"Fine..." Robin replied, holding her head as she sat up. Blood dripped from her mouth. "Let's finish this soon."

The navigator nodded and helped her fellow female pirate up as Naakah's laser beams barely missed them. "It's like Enies Lobby all over again."

* * *

Chopper reluctantly put a Rumble Ball in his mouth. As he felt it shatter between his teeth, he knew that he had to finish this battle in three minutes or less. Otherwise, his nakama would be in trouble. He shifted into Jumping Point to evade a blast of frost from Koht's gun. From the reindeer's new vantage point, he could see how everyone was doing.

"Brain Point Scope!" Shifting into his hybrid form, Chopper put the tips of his hooves together and focused his concentration on Koht. The pale-skinned hunter was looking around confusedly for Chopper.

"Got it! His weak point is..." Shifting into his Arm Point, Chopper fell back towards the _Sunny_. "His forehead!"

"Wut?" growled Koht, eyes widening as he saw Chopper hurdling at him. "My forehead...?" The hunter realized it at the last second, so he jumped out of the way to avoid the blow.

Chopper stumbled, shaking his head. "Okay, so that was a miss.. But next time, I'll make I don't."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the storeroom, Zoro was tossing everything around, trying to find a single trace of alcohol to consume. So far, not much luck. He had no idea how far away they were from port. He could ask Nami, but he had a feeling he didn't want to deal with her.

His thoughts momentarily drifted back to Raftel, where Tashigi had revealed her real identity – that of Zoro's childhood friend Kuina.

"_I-impossible!" Zoro spat, not taking his eyes off of the dark-haired Marine in from of him."No way you're Kuina! She's dead, after falling down the stairs in her father's dojo! I saw! _I _saw!_ _I _saw_! There's... no way..."_

_Tashigi – Kuina – smiled weakly. "Zoro... I had to convince you that I was dead, didn't I? I practiced holding my breath, and staying perfectly still... All to convince you. I knew that... you needed some help to go after your dream... you wouldn't go after it on your own."_

"_BULLSHIT!" yelled Zoro, feeling years worth of anger and grief surfacing. "I would've gone, especially if you – no, Kuina – was still alive! So I had decent competition!"_

"_But I _am _alive, Zoro!" screamed back Kuina, tears starting to stream down her face. "I'm here, right in front of you, aren't I?! I can finally see how strong you are, what you've done... you've accomplished more than I can imagine..."_

_Zoro said nothing, biting his lip in anger. He undid his bandana and tied it back on his arm. Sheathing his katanas, he said, "Whether you're Kuina or not... I'll show you. I'll show you that I _am _going to complete my promise. I _will _become the greatest swordsman in the world!"_

"_The best until your name is known in both Heaven and earth?" asked Kuina meekly. "I... heard you say that." She looked at a sword at Zoro's waist – the one in the white scabbard. "I'll be wanting Wado back."_

"_You won't be getting it back for a long time," Zoro said, feeling Luffy's arm grab his haramaki. _"_Not until I'm the best."

* * *

_

Brook found that Kadier was very adaptable; no matter what techniques the skeleton tried to use, the hunter would dodge or counter it the next time it was used. This was tricky. But, after all, Brook was about eighty-eight years old. He had plenty of experience... and he hadn't used his signature attack yet. The skeleton felt he best end this quick, or watch his new nakama suffer.

Brook walked past Kadier, who watched with a scowl across his face. "Where da you think _yer_ goin'?"

Ignoring his opponent, Brook directed his attention – still walking – to Sanji instead. "How are you doing, Sanji?"

"Oh, just fine, Brook," replied the cook, smashing Nozev's nose with a well placed kick. The silver-haired hunter groaned as blood squirted from his nose, then fell on his back. "Now I can kick this guy into the ocean where he belongs."

"Hey, I'm talkin' to ya!" said Kadier, raising his buzzsaw high above his head, intending to split Brook in two. "Pay attention to me!"

"If you're so desperate for attention," said Brook, not turning around, and starting to sheath his sword. "You'll get plenty after this. Hanauta Sanchou..." His blade only had an inch exposed now. "Yahazu Giri!" Brook slid the rest of the sword into his cane.

A massive cut, about five inches deep, appeared on Kadier's chest. Blood ruptured from the wound immediately, and Kadier's wide eyes got even wider. "No shit..!!" Then he collapsed, clothes and skin covered in blood.

Brook started humming, spinning his cane as he went to help his crew-mates, seemingly ignoring his now defeated opponent.

* * *

Usopp, in a pang of irony, found it fit for him to be facing a man who was assembling weapons from stuff out of his pockets – after all, the long-nosed sniper had created Nami's Clima-Tact, as well as several off his own ammunition. "I always seem to get the weirdos.." He muttered, loading Kabuto. He took careful aim at Kava, who seemed to be doing the same. "Ageha Ryusei!" The flaming shots squiggled in the air, missing Kava's own shot (which Usopp then dived to avoid)... but ended up missing Kava entirely. "How..??"

Kava grinned, which distorted his face due to his wide cheeks. "That shot I fired? Yeah. Major recoil for me. So, you missed. Me, too. But, I'm safe. You're not." He slammed his normal tool – something that looked like a jackhammer – into the _Sunny_'s deck, sending Usopp off-balance. The hunter then fired a green sphere like Kozev had done earlier. And it was right on target.

* * *

"Strong Right!" Franky's chained fist shot straight for Kozev, who stepped aside, ready to fire another harpoon blast. But Franky was smarter than that. He pulled the chain with his left hand, letting it wrap around his grungy adversary. "Up and away, bro!" The shipwright said, hurling Kozev straight up into the air.

Kozev laughed. "Now what? Another cannonball that I'll slice in half? You can't use the same old tricks on me!"

"Oh, it's another cannonball, alright," said Franky, now attaching the T-shaped pipe to his forearms. "But you can't cut this one." Falling on his back, the cyborg started taking in massive amounts of air, causing his forearms to swell up. "Coup de..."

Kozev's eyes went wide and round. "You can't be serious..."

"VENT!" The shot of compressed air went straight up, colliding with Kozev and sending him up, up, up into the sky... until he disappeared from sight.

Pushing his pompadour out from his eyes, Franky sighed. "I guess I should get more cola before I can help anyone..."

* * *

Luffy collided with the railing of the _Sunny_. Without, he'd probably be sinking into the ocean by now. Spitting out a glob of blood from his mouth, he stood up to face Natkaz. "You're a pain in the ass."

Natkaz chuckled, walking towards Luffy, his giant three-bladed scissor gleaming in the sunlight. "Don't worry, this'll be over soon."

"Yeah, for you," Luffy grinned, then prepared to go into Gear Second, when he heard Nami's voice.

"No, Luffy!" His navigator screamed as Robin titled Naakah's flamethrower into its owner's face. "Don't! You're gonna overload your body and... and..." Normally, she would've been able to finish this, but she suddenly fell to her knees. "Y-you can't... you'll die..."

"..." Luffy looked at Nami for a few moments, then nodded. "Okay, I won't." He turned back to Natkaz, cracking his knuckles. "Looks like I'll be going easy on you." Then he slammed his fist so hard into the hunter's face that a few teeth fell out of the crooked smile. "But you'll still loose."

* * *

To be continued...


	13. Banquet

Zoro kicked the last barrel aside. It hit the wall and shattered into splinters. The swordsman could not find any alcohol. So, reasonably, he was upset. Mind-numbingly, painfully frustrated.

Zoro loved alcohol. It helped him numb pain – physical, emotional. He needed it now, with Tashigi turning out to be who she resembled. That made Zoro angry. It was like grieving all over again. He reminded himself to revisit his old dojo once they made it back to the East Blue.

But when the _Sunny_ rattled violently, the green-haired pirate decided to save his crew from whatever trouble they got themselves into, otherwise, no one was going to survive. So, unsheathing _Wado_, he climbed up the stairs from the storeroom to the deck.

* * *

Usopp had better days. Like in Alabasta, when he took a four-ton bat to the face. And at Enies Lobby, when he got stabbed by a wolf-man. Compared to this, those experiences were like the good old days back on his old island.

The sickly green sludge was now climbing up his right leg, leaving what part it touched a horribly black color. But it felt perfectly fine. For now, as Kava pointed out. "See that goop? It's like a liquid Devil Fruit. Only worse. Once it finds a cavity, it'll eat your organs. Or turn you into a demon. And there are people like that, later on. Made completely outta that stuff."

"Don't you ever shut up?" Usopp grumbled, loading a new shot into Kabuto. He took careful aim. "Torimochi Boshi!" The pink pellet hit Kava dead in the face, exploding into a giant pile of goo that covered the hunter's mouth. "That oughta shut you up!"

"Movferfuffer!"

* * *

"Gomu-Gomu no Muchi!" Luffy's elongated leg lashed out at Natkaz, who let his body split in two. The new Pirate King stood, breathing heavily. He promised Nami he wouldn't go into Gear Second, but he was losing. One of his arms got cut, but it wasn't deep. It was still dripping blood onto the _Sunny_'s deck. If the captain didn't die now, Franky would surely kill him later.

"What's wrong, Straw Hat?" taunted Natkaz, now standing on the railing. "Can't keep up? Maybe because you promised your little girlfriend you wouldn't shift gears?" The hunter scoffed, his greasy emerald hair blowing away from his face. "How pathetic."

"Shut up," said Luffy, eyes flashing. "Nami's my nakama,"

"Who needs friendship?" Natkaz continued, a dramatic air about him. "It only shows how dependent you are for other's help." He looked down on Luffy with contempt. "What right do you have to be captain? Surely they don't respect you. You couldn't make a morally correct decision to save your life!"

"Shut up."

"You declared war on the entire world!" Natkaz retorted, pointing his finger accusingly at the rubber man. "Every person who still obeys the government will try to kill you!"

"So what?!" replied Luffy. "I don't give a damn about the government! I am the Pirate King! I am the man with the most freedom on these seas!"

"Freedom?! Sailing around on your little ship, beating up anyone who stands in your way, even if it means death!?"

"Death means nothing!" Luffy jammed his thumb into his mouth. "When I'm done, you'll wish you were dead!" Biting down on the joint, he muttered, "Gear Third!" The pirate's right arm became inflated with air, its bones expanded in mass and density. "Hone Fuusen!"

"Death conquers all, Straw Hat! Your bounty is three-hundred million belli!! I can bring you in as a prisoner, or as a corpse!" Natkaz's body split up again, a group of black-and-green dots. "Mure-Mure Ougi: Mure Typhoon!"

"Gomu-Gomu no..." The giant fist of Luffy shot forward, as Natkaz charged as a over-sized tornado. "Giganto Pistol!!" There was a collision of flesh and particle, accompanied by a sickening splunch. Natkaz's spirit was willing, but his body was weak. His atomized form was sent flying, well over the horizon. Whether or not he landed in ocean was not Luffy's problem.

* * *

_Two minutes,_ Chopper thought, as he shifted into Guard Point to block Koht's icicle barrage. The reindeer was running out of options. He had to finish this soon.

"What's the matter, fuzz-face?" cackled Koht. "You can't run forever... but it'll be good practice for Santa!!" He laughed again, for a crucial moment that Chopper found, and took advantage of.

"Horn Point!" Chopper's forearms strengthened, his back legs regaining their hooves in order to stabilize him better. His antlers enlarged to terrifying proportions. The doctor charged, scooping up the bounty hunter and tossing him skyward. "Roseo Colonnade!"

"Bwuh??"

Now, the reindeer's arms shrunk, body being slimmer and light-weight. "Jumping Point!" Using his increased leg power, he leapt straight up, to face Koht. As Chopper did so, he said, "Arm Point!", and his forelimbs bulged.

"You damn bear cub." growled Koht, smirking.

"I'm a reindeer," corrected Chopper. "Kokutei Roseo Metel!"

The bombardment of blows to his forehead promptly knocked out the hunter, cracking his skull in the process. Several imprints of Chopper's hooves appeared on Koht's forehead, complimented by blood.

* * *

Kava grabbed Usopp's throat and had him pinned against the lawn. The sniper could feel the hunter's breath, and it was terrible. But if Usopp got killed, he wouldn't be able to complain.

"You run too damn fast," growled Kava, raising his weapon, intending to smash Usopp's skull with it. "But I got you now. Brat."

"That's what you think," said Usopp, a hand in his bag, rummaging around for something. "You know what they call me?"

Kava paused only for a moment as he struggled to think for the answer. "Coward?"

"... Close enough." Usopp slapped his hand on the grass, and the was an explosion of smoke. When Kava recoiled, the sniper rolled away from harm. He scattered some caltrops behind Kava, then grabbed another pellet. "Koshou Boshi!" He said, smashing it into his opponent's face.

Kava started sneezing violently, his eyes watering from the smoke and spice. He gagged and stepped back, right onto a caltrop. So he fell backwards onto a large pile of them, screaming as they punctured his skin.

"Makibishi Jigoku," cackled Usopp. "Better watch your step or you'll fall right over the railing!"

Kava did feel his back bump into the wooden guard, but he wasn't scared. This liar wasn't going to get the best of him, oh no. The bounty hunter intended to pulverize the pirate and use his corpse as a throw rug. "You're dead." He said, dashing towards Usopp.

"Really?" said Usopp mockingly, his Kabuto shooter pulled back. "I don't think so. Hissatsu Hino Tori no Boshi!" The flaming phoenix collided with Kava, scorching his skin. The bounty hunter couldn't take it. He ran back to the railing and jumped into the ocean.

* * *

Nami shut her eyes, waiting for Naakah's weapon to sever her head. She waited for a blast of searing fire to burn her neck, but nothing happened. Peeking cautiously, she saw Zoro standing in front of her. "Zoro..?"

The swordsman didn't answer. His prized blade, _Wado_, was the only thing keeping Naakah's flamethrower from burning Nami. The bounty hunter didn't seem shocked at the change of opponents.

"Well, well, who have we here?" He said venomously, a wicked smile distorting his features. "Roronoa Zoro, I presume?"

"Yup," said Zoro, a similar grin on his face. "You happen to have any booze on ya? I could use some..." Quick as a flash, he unsheathed _Kitetsu III_, a deep cut appearing on Naakah's arm. While the hunter turned his attention to his wound, Zoro pulled out _Shuusui_ up to his shoulder.

"Sanjuuroku Pound Hou!" The shockwave from Zoro's swing blasted Naakah a few feet up into the air. Zoro didn't hesitate to finish. "Nanajuni Pound Hou!"A similar shockwave, but twice as powerful as the previous one, lifted Naakah even higher.

"By the way," added Zoro, _Wado_ now between his teeth. "Next time you try to capture us, at least leave some alcohol for me to drink! Hyakuhachi Pound Hou!" A third shockwave with one hundred-eight pounds of force sent Naakah flying over the horizon. Satisfied, Zoro sheathed his swords, then disappeared below deck, leaving the rest of the Straw Hats utterly amazed and confused.

* * *

A few days had passed since the hostage situation, but things were slowly turning back to normal. Zoro wasn't becoming as dependant on alcohol, but Nami still allowed him to buy a few month's worth at port.

The tense situation led Usopp to narrate a detailed story to Chopper about the time he was held captive by "slime monsters on the moon of Zorgath Seven", where the sniper escaped by holding his breath and running through deep space. He quickly stopped, however, once Robin pointed out that the vacuum of space would cause almost instantaneous death.

Thankfully, Nami pointed out an island before Chopper could ask for more inaccuracies in Usopp's tale. The Straw Hats focused their attention at the new island. Tall, lush vegetation occupied a good portion of the land mass, while pure, white sand made up the beaches. The ocean water surrounding the island was crystal-clear and a rich blue color.

"It's so beautiful!" Nami said, eyes shining as Franky dropped the _Thousand Sunny_'s anchors into the sea. "We could have a vacation here and the Marines couldn't find us!"

Sanji rubbed his chin as his cigarette danced between his lips thoughtfully. "I wonder, who many beautiful women live on this island?" Zoro, who was walking by, made a fake cough that sounded like he had said, "ero-cook".

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were the first three to leave the _Sunny_ to explore the island. "So cool!" said Luffy, moving a hand to his hat to prevent it from flying away in the warm, tropical wind. "I wonder if there are monsters in that jungle!" With that, he ran off, Usopp and Chopper reluctantly following after him.

* * *

Luffy grinned as flashes of green, red, and yellow darted past his eyes as he ran. The enthusiastic pirate was having the time of his life, using his rubber limbs to swing from tree to tree. When he looked below, he could see Usopp and Chopper doing the same, the latter having changed into his Walk Point.

A clearing was up ahead, and Luffy leapt from the treetop into the soft grass below. He went tumbling for a while, but stopped, sitting up right, laughing. He stood, a warm breeze flowing over his skin. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and looked around. The jungle surrounded the clearing, and a large lake was a few feet away from him.

But before Luffy could see what else this island had to offer, he felt the ground shake. He whipped around, eyes widening at the sight of the commotion. Then he screamed.

* * *

Not too far away from where the rest of the Straw Hats were setting up camp, a large, flat stone was propped up against a tree, next to a smoothed path leading into the jungle. If any of the pirates had bothered to read it, it would have said...

_Abandon hope, all ye who enter. This be the Isle of Banquets, for any and all visitors are food for the native residents of this land..._


	14. Mess

**Author's Note**: I apologize for the mass delay. Writer's Block combined with me starting college is not a fun combination... I'll try harder...

* * *

Zoro reached for the bottle across from him. His fingers were about an inch from it when Nami snatched it away. The swordsman glowered at her. "What the hell?"

"No more," said Nami, tossing the bottle to Brook, who caught it upside-down, its contents spilling down his skull. "You've had enough to drink today."

"So?" challenged Zoro, one eyebrow raised. "I can drink when I want to."

"Like hell you will! We put a limit on you, remember? Do you want your entire stock of grog tossed into the ocean again?"

"The ocean doesn't need anymore drunken fish." cut in Franky, remembering the spoiled dinner Sanji had served for dinner the previous night.

Sanji, who was setting a make-shift grill over the fire (courtesy of the cyborg shipwright), frowned. "That's not really fair, is it? I did the best I could with what I had."

"Certainly explains why it tasted terrible." snorted Zoro, crossing his arms.

"Oh, does the Marimo Princess have a problem with my cooking?" demanded Sanji, brandishing a skewer at him. "Well maybe you can just go overboard and find your own damn food… if you don't get lost!"

"Screw you, Ero-Cook! Booze tastes good regardless!"

"Then why was my precious Nami-san locked in the bathroom for two hours?!"

"Because your cooking is shit!"

"That's it, you wanna fight?!"

"Bring it, Dartboard!"

Nami sighed, a vein throbbing in her forehead. Franky stepped forward to disentangle Zoro and Sanji from their scuffle. Brook looked at Robin.

"Are they always like this?" He asked quietly, remembering how the two had acted after the events at Thriller Park.

"Usually," giggled Robin from behind her book. "But if they ever got into a real fight, this whole island would crumble."

* * *

Usopp and Chopper reached the same clearing as Luffy had, but there was no sign of their captain. Chopper, however, claimed he could still smell him, so the two went off, following the reindeer's nose.

"Are you sure he went this way?" Usopp asked, glancing over his shoulder for the hundredth time in a half-hour. "Because I'm not seeing anything."

"I smell him, though." reassured Chopper. "It's getting stronger, too, but…" He stopped, taking a deep breath. "There's other stuff mixed in, too. Like… smoke. And… vegetables, maybe?"

There was a bright orange glow coming from between two large palm trees. Treading cautiously, the two pirates peered carefully through… and their jaws dropped.

It was another clearing, but vastly different from the previous one. Large straw huts surrounded the clearing, and there was a large black pot sitting atop a pile of lumber. Large human-like creatures were standing around, grunting amongst themselves.

"Th-they're huge!" gasped Usopp, struggling to keep his voice to a whisper.

"I still smell Luffy!" hissed Chopper, looking around. "But where is he?!"

"There!" Usopp pointed at a space above the black pot. There, unconscious and tied to a bend tree, was Luffy. His straw hat was tied to his neck, but his eyelids were closed, his body unmoving, swaying with the light breeze. "Are they… going to eat him?!"

* * *

Usopp and Chopper came screaming into their crew's campsite, causing Zoro to gag on his glass of water and spray it all over Brook. "LUFFY…! LUFFY GOT CAUGHT!! GONNA GET EATEN!!"

"What?" said Nami, looking at them. "What happened to Luffy?"

The sniper and doctor quickly explained what they discovered to the rest of the crew. They sat there in stunned silence for a moment, until Zoro spoke.

"Well, if he was stupid enough to get caught, I guess we have to go get him."

"But how?!" said Usopp, waving his arms. "Those natives were HUGE! Bigger than Franky!"

"But smaller than Oz!" added Chopper, referring to the zombie-giant that the Straw Hats had encountered on their adventure at Thriller Bark. "But there were a lot, so we can't go barging in!"

"Plus," said Sanji. "Marimo would get us lost if he decided to walk in front."

Franky, however, rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Usopp," he said. "What do you know about guerilla warfare?"

"Huh?" said Usopp, still clutching Chopper in panic. "Gorilla?"

"No, no, no… guerilla! You know… hit-and run!"

"Oh! Yeah, sure! So, what's your plan?"

Franky grinned, perhaps a bit too dangerously. "Gather 'round, everyone… we have a lot of work to do!"

* * *

A sigh of smoke erupted from Smoker's mouth, his twin cigars held in his hand. He was sitting in his lawn chair on the deck of his ship, the usual faceless Marine standing at attention for his next order. Tashigi sat in her chair, a foot or two to the left of Smoker's. Without looking at her, he asked, "Are you sure you did the right thing?"

The woman known as both Tashigi and Kuina didn't answer, instead choosing to stare at the vast reach of ocean in front of them. Then, she spoke. "It's better now that he knows."

"You still want your sword back?"

"Yes."

Smoker looked up at the Marine standing next to him. "Oi, you."

The Marine snapped to attention at once. "Yes, sir?" He said, voice smooth and unwavering.

"What's the next island on the way back to East Blue from here?"

"I believe it's Banquet Island, sir!"

"Then contact Headquarters and get an Eternal Pose, pronto."

"Yessir!"

* * *

The smell of broth tickled Luffy's nose, and the pirate stirred. His eyes slowly opened, and he blinked a couple of times in order to clear his vision. He found himself staring at a bunch of large, pear-shaped people with war paint and spears.

"… You're not my nakama." The Pirate King said, frowning, trying desperately to ignore the heat of the cooking pot he was suspended over. "And why am I tied up?"

"You have Devil Fruit." grunted one of the tribesmen on Luffy's right. "You Fruit Person. Fruit People have Devil's Blood. Devil's Blood makes us strong!" He pounded his chest with his fist for emphasis.

"Really?" said Luffy, just now realizing he was tied up. "Well…" He flexed his muscles and the ropes snapped. The pirate kicked over the cauldron underneath him, spilling the boiling-hot broth all over the ground. The tribesmen stepped back, gripping their weapons and pointing them at their ex-prisoner.

Luffy grinned, cracking his knuckles, adopting a fighting stance. "You trying to cook me was a big mistake! I'll kick your ass, go get ready! Here I come!!"

To be continued...


End file.
